7. Bruno Sammartino
Yes, the longest ever reigning WWE (then-WWWF) Heavyweight Champion, Bruno Sammartino retired in 1981 after a 22-year long wrestling career.
I understand how it seems as if his time was up, and after 22 years, it is completely acceptable to retire. Yet, in the early-1980s, Sammartino still received huge audience reactions, even occasionally outshining Federation Champion, Bob Backlund. ‘The Living Legend’ retired in 1981 due to back injuries, but was still such a draw that he was signed to an announcer contract shortly after.
6. Nigel McGuinness
This man you mightn’t know either. Nigel McGuinness, or Desmond Wolfe in TNA, became an internet darling due to his incredible matches on the American Independent Wrestling circuit in the mid-to-late-2000s, much like Brian Danielson (Daniel Bryan).
Having worked in Ring Of Honor, NOAH in Japan, then getting signed to TNA, it seemed as if everything was looking up for one of the best wrestlers on the planet at the time. Alas, within his second year in TNA after having a series of awesome matches with Kurt Angle, McGuinness contracted Hepatitis B outside of wrestling.
Due to this being an incredibly serious debilitation that could easily be spread with open wounds, McGuinness was forced to retire from in-ring competition during his twelfth year in wrestling. McGuinness had mountains of potential and had been involved in some of the greatest independent matches of all time.
